Enteric delivery of functional materials in food delivery applications has been limited. Enteric delivery systems are commonly utilized when the functional materials or medicaments are known to be sensitive to low pH or have undesirable flavor and/or taste characteristics which cannot be effectively masked by other methods. Generally, enteric delivery is accomplished using tablets and gel capsules. However, those particular delivery methods are not well suited for food applications. In particular, neither tablets nor capsules are sized to be integrated into most existing food products.
An alternative process for enteric delivery is microencapsulation. Microencapsulation is generally performed using specialized equipment or in an environment including organic solvents. These methods require additional capital expenditures and the use of additional materials, such as the organic solvents, which may or may not be usable in subsequent microencapsulation cycles. As a result, the process of microencapsulation requires investments in both equipment and organic solvent procurement and disposal.
One issue with microencapsulation is the recovery rate, or microencapsulation efficiency of the process. Generally, a certain significant percentage of the material to be microencapsulated is not captured. The uncaptured material may be recovered for reuse, recycled, or a percentage of the uncaptured material remains adhered to the outer surface of the microencapsulated particulates.
As a result, the product tends to have a taste profile associated with the uncaptured material, which is often undesirable. This is particularly true when the uncaptured material includes oxidizable triglycerides such as unsaturated and polyunsaturated lipids, oxidizable flavors and essential oils, or other organic compounds that may naturally have undesirable taste and/or flavor.